HOT TOPICS:

Minnesota Wild: For Jordan Schroeder, a special homecoming

By Ben Goesslingbgoessling@pioneerpress.com

Posted:
02/06/2013 12:01:00 AM CST

Updated:
02/06/2013 10:07:13 PM CST

Jordan Schroeder

It's hardly rare these days for a former Minnesota high school star to return to his home state, either as a member of the Wild or playing for an opposing team. But Jordan Schroeder's trip back to the Twin Cities on Wednesday, Feb. 6, had an interesting twist. And for that, he can thank Lady Gaga.

The Vancouver Canucks forward, who won a state championship as a ninth-grader at St. Thomas Academy, skated on his old high school rink Thursday in Mendota Heights, as both the Wild and Canucks were bumped from the Xcel Energy Center before the pop star's Wednesday night concert. Schroeder, who played two seasons at St. Thomas Academy before moving to the U.S. National Team Development Program, was one of the last players to leave the arena as a group of current Cadets hockey players filed in to watch the final few minutes of Vancouver's practice.

Schroeder has plenty of memories at the Xcel Energy Center, too; he won his state title there and scored his first goal for the Gophers there in 2008. Vancouver took Schroeder in the first round of the 2009 draft, and he turned pro after two seasons at Minnesota.

The 5-foot-9 forward has cracked the Canucks' lineup for the first time this season, producing two assists in seven games with Ryan Kesler recovering from shoulder and wrist surgeries. He knows he could be headed back to the minors once Kesler returns.

Advertisement

But that doesn't figure to be before Thursday night, which could mean Schroeder will be in the Canucks' lineup for his return home.